Making ends meet below the minimum income standard: families experiences over time

This paper presents some preliminary findings and emerging themes from a second round of interviews in the Bringing up a Family: Making ends meet study conducted by the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP). The purpose of this initial analysis is to bring together some general findings drawing on the longitudinal focus of the study to provide some insights into the ongoing experiences of families living on an income which falls below the Minimum Income Standard (MIS). The paper focusses in particular on how changes are experienced and managed, the extent of choice and constraint, what these mean for people’s incomes and lives and how families continue to cope when living below what in the context of MIS is a minimum acceptable living standard. The findings presented here are based on an initial overview of a second wave of interviews. It is hoped that a third round of interviews will be possible in 2019 allowing additional analysis and reporting in the future.